Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

Fantastic ...

What's so fantastic about Mr. Fox, well  ...

Let me tell you 5 fantastic things about Mr. Fox

1. Charming
2. Charismatic
3. Funny
4. Delightful
5. A 'curse' good story & movie
   

Mike & I went and saw the, 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'  movie on Friday.  We had heard some good reviews of the movie and decided to give it a try.   We fell in love with Mr. Fox!!!!  It's one of the best movies we have seen in YEARS (I know I say that a lot but trust me ... this movie is GREAT)!!!

I {heart}  movies with the ability  to make all age groups gathered  ...  _*chuckle_*, *sigh*,  -LAUGH-,  ::cheer::,   ~smile~  & leave the theater - 'grinning from ear to ear'.... and this movie delivers all of that and more.

 

I don't recall reading this book when I was little but I am going to buy it so I can read it.  It is such an utterly charming movie and I am curious about how they made such a 'curse' Fantastic full length movie out of a children's book. 

George Clooney & Meryl Streep just bring the characters to life! 

George Clooney is so 'curse' good! If you don't love him already ... you will after watching this movie!

I give this movie 10 Thumbs Up!  It's one of the '2' perfect holiday movies that I saw this weekend ...

Have a 'curse' Good Day

- N -

Goats ...

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Yesterday, after lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, Mike & I went over the movie theater at Bellevue Square to see, 'The Men Who Stare at Goats'.  Funny, Funny, Funny!  Mike & I  both loved this movie!  It's a funny, creative character driven movie that entertains the whole way through. 

There were plenty of scenes that made us both laugh out loud however, on second thought, maybe this movie is not for everyone - part was through the movie I had to get up and walk around (I usually cannot sit all the way through a movie - I think it's my Restless Legs getting restless ...)  anyways there was a woman sitting between me and the aisle so she had to squish up her legs to let me past and when I came back to my seat (about 10 minutes later) I had to wake her up to get her to move and let me by ...

I was surprised to see how full the theater got - I was expecting there to be just a handful of people in the theater.  This was the reason that there was somebody between me and the aisle which explains the woman sitting beside me because .... 

I usually leave an empty seat or two between me and the aisle because I have have to get up and walk around anywhere from 2 - 5 times and on a bad day ... for the entire movie and I feel bad repeatedly asking someone to keep moving BUT I do like to sit as close to the middle of the theater as possible for the best viewing ... anyways, today the theater was packed so she grabbed the seat next to me ...

I would highly recommend this quirky fun film if you like off-beat humor.

Have a great day

- N -

Woopdidoo ...

'The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.'
  - Oscar Wilde -

and speaking of work ...

 

Woopdidoo - I am finally back at work.  I started working on October 12th and it has been a mighty long week!  Not only am I not used to working & paying attention all day but I am missing my naps, and I have had to be at work extra hours this week.   Talk about a Shock to the system - it's all good though and I am excited to be out of the house and busy doing something again. 

I began my 3 weeks of training at a very large call center for a utility company and will wrap up Week One tomorrow and for the 1st time in almost 4 years I am looking forward to the weekend!  I haven't had a weekend in F.O.R.E.V.E.R!   

I have to go now and iron my clothes for work tomorrow and then hit the hay because I must confess that I am very, very tired by the end of each day - I am certainly sleeping better this week !!!  

Woopdidoo ~ A paycheck and some sleep too ....

Until the weekend ...

Happy Fall-idays!
Love N

An Extrodinary Tale of Community, Cabbage & Corruption ...

L.A.'s South Central Community Garden

The Garden, a documentary by Scott Hamilton Kennedy.  

L.A.'s South Central Community Garden

If you like documentaries then this is a movie that you will want to see! 

 

Community Protester

A brief synopsis from their websites describes it as:

The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food, feeding their families and creating a community.

But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers: Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public? And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.” If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?

 

South Central Community Garden

I guarantee this award winning movie will entertain, engage & enrage you but, in the end, it will make you cry!  This is hands down one of the best movies I have seen so far this year ...

All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.

- Albert Einstein -

Just Pottering around ...

I guess this isn't news at all to you Harry Potter fans out there but .... (drum roll ....) today is the release of the much anticipated ... HARRY POTTER and THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE!!!   I believe that this is the last book in the much-loved series so I can imagine that for all the die-hard Potters fans this is BIG and the excitement has certainly been building around our house all summer.  Admittedly, Mike & I are not exactly what you would call Harry Potter fans as neither of us has ever read any of the books but we have seen several of the movies, however ... 

Katy is one of Harry's Biggest Fans,  in fact, both her and Jessica are BIG BIG BIG BIG FANS!!!   Katy has spent the whole summer re-reading every book in the series of  Potter books getting ready for this movies release.  She asked Mike & I if we wanted to go see it with her so we went online Monday to Fandango and pre-bought tickets for today at 7pm.  All the movie theaters around us are pre-selling tickets for days out - I have heard good things about this movie but good or bad ... I think it is going to make a TON of Galleon.

 

So tonight we will grab our Butter-Beer & Popcorn and settle in along with all the other muggles to see where Harry & the Gang lead us now ....

Have a great day

Smile

- N -

Treking with the Demons ...

After a very long hiatus - Mike & I are finally getting back into our favorite sport. Aside watching the M's play ... going to the movies is probably one of our favorite things to do.  It looks some good flicks are being released this summer so I guess we'd better salt & butter up the popcorn and get ready ...  

STAR TREK 

I'm not a huge Star Trek fan but this new movie from JJ Abrams [he does Lost] was very enjoyable and just may have turned me into a Trekkie.  It was one of those well designed scripts that is action-packed, emotional, funny & a good story; in other words, it had a little bit of it all.  The movie is set back in time and follows the story of how the crew of the USS Enterprise came together.

 

Chris Pine, who I've never heard of before, was Great!  He brought just enough angst, grit and comedy to the character.  For me, he is THE new James T. Kirk

Zachary Quinto [ Hero fans will recognize him] played the young Spock.  He also gave a good performance and he strangely even looks like the original Spock.

I think the movie was very well cast and it was much better than I was expecting.

Well worth a trip to the movie theater.

Angels & Demons

Okay, so most everyone has probably read and LOVED Dan Browns books - The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.  I really enjoyed the first movie (Da Vinci Code) and I, like several other million people, have been waiting for Angels & Demons to be made into a movie.

When reading the books - I thought that the Angel & Demon story was the better of the two and I have always thought that Tom Hanks was miscast in the role of Robert Langdon.   I always suspected that he got the role because him and Ron Howard are such good friends but I will concede that he was much more believable as the character in the new movie.  (I think losing the long stringy hair helped - a lot).

I must also say that the weakest part of the story (I won't spoil it by saying it out loud but we probably all rolled our collective eyes at the scene where ....) anyways, they did a nice job of 'fixing' that scene in the movie so I was happy about that.

All in all - this was a very enjoyable movie and a great way to spend 2 hours.

Have fun at the movies
- N -

Here is a list of movies that are in theaters now or coming soon that I am looking forward to seeing:

• Terminator: Salvation - Needs no introduction
• The Taking of Pelham 123 - Some remakes look worthwhile
• Night at the Museum: Battle at the Simthsonian - Well, the first one was funny
• Land of the Lost - Will Farrell, come-on!
• Public Enemies - Johnny Depp, I'm there!
• District 9 - Peter Jackson!!
• The Skeptic - 'A horrifying Ghost Story'
  

Ten on Wednesday ...

10 Movies You LOVED but Nobody Has Probably Ever Heard Of ....

This is my list - not all of these movie have been at the movie theater - some are made for TV movies & some are documentaries.

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1.    84 Charring Cross Road (1987)

I have always LOVED this movie - it is that rare and rich film that takes you deep into the story of these wonderful characters - and forces you to fall in love with them - the kind of story that wraps itself around you it's so warm.

Anne Bancroft & Anthony Hopkins are Helen & Frank and they will leave you wishing the story never ended ...

Plot

"Helen Hanff (Anne Bancroft), a feisty New York writer, mails a letter to a small  London bookshop requesting some rare English classics.

Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins), the reserved English bookseller, answers her request, beginning a touching and humorous correspondence that spans two continents and two decades.

Frank and Helen draw us into their lives -- and their extraordinary friendship -- with their intimate, richly detailed letters"

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2.    The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)

This is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie so, of course, I  LOVED it.  I love all of Hallmarks movies!  I remember Katy & I watched this movie about 5 X's and I think I  cried about, um, 5 of those times.  It's just good, clean easy to watch, feel good movie watching.

Plot

"Set in 1944 Colorado, The Magic of Ordinary Days is the story of a young woman, Livy Dune (played by Keri Russell), who became pregnant before marriage. Her father, Rev. Dunne, decided to deal with the situation, by arranging a marriage to a shy farmer through another preacher. The groom, Ray Singleton (played by Skeet Ulrich), lives on a remote farm and is very different than Livy. Ray focuses on what is close to him: his family, his land, today. Livy thinks on a much grander scale: the world, ancient civilizations, far away places.

Ray's farm utilizes the help of Japanese Americans from a nearby Japanese American internment camp to help work the farm. Livy befriends two well-educated Japanese American women who were working the farm, Flora and Rose.She finds comfort and familiarity in their friendship.

Livy is polite and civil to her new husband and his sister Martha (Mare Winningham), but she harbors feelings for the father of the baby, a World War II soldier, and feelings of guilt for the pregnancy. Ray, however, is caring, patient, and supportive of Livy, but the fact that she does not want him hurts him deeply. Slowly over time, the two come to understand and love each other, and appreciate that though they are different, neither is better or worse than the other."

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3.    Adaptation (2002)

Wow, it's hard to even begin to explain this movie.  It quirky, powerful, complicated and unforgettable.  I highly recommend this movie - it will stay with you for months &  months and then you will need to watch it again - just to be sure you had it right the first time ...

Plot

"The hero is Mr. Kaufman himself (Nicolas Cage), a screenwriter struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," Susan Orlean's nonfiction meditation on flowers, obsession and Darwinian theory. He is tormented by writer's block and by his twin brother, Donald (also Mr. Cage), an aspiring screenwriter and all-around doofus in his own right. Their sibling rivalry, which is also a metaphor for the pains of creativity, is interspersed with something that looks like an actual adaptation of "The Orchid Thief," in which Ms. Orlean (Meryl Streep) finds herself drawn to a scruffy renegade botanist named John Laroche (Chris Cooper). Then the plots overlap, collide and explode in a conclusion that is at once maddening, troubling and oddly moving. This is a remarkable, impossible movie — about itself but also about its own nonexistence — and one of the most formally audacious, intellectually charged American movies in quite some time." (A. O. Scott, The New York Times)

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4.   The Deer Hunter (1978)

Hands down - I think this is one of the most powerful Vietnam War movies ever made.  It shows the horrifying effects and aftermath that war forever tattoos on the lives of  the soldiers, their families & friends and even the country.

The scenes will never leave you and will become as much a part of your psyche as theirs ... it will haunt you ...

War - may or may not be -a necessary evil but what I took away from this movie is that you'd better be damn sure that it's a fight worth fighting before you engage ...

Plot

The Deer Hunter is storywriter/producer/director Michael Cimino's epic about war and friendship - and only his second film but ... is a powerful, disturbing and compelling look at the Vietnam War through the lives of three blue-collar, Russian-American friends in a small steel-mill town before, during, and after their service in the war.

Its title recalls the adventure novels and frontier heroes in the works of James Fenimore Cooper - in fact, only one of the characters found peace in hunting (before experiencing the effects of the psychologically-wounding war).  The meandering, sometimes shrill, raw film has been extremely controversial on many accounts - political and emotional."

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5.    The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

An incredible book (put it on your list if it's not already there) and an incredible movie.  This is another movie that will haunt you forever ...  A gut-wrenching look at the contradiction that is humanity ... so selfless & selfish in the same breath ~ so  compassionate & brutal ~ so elastic and adaptive & yet so fragile and breakable ... 

This movie (and book) always bring to mind the Stalin quotes, “A single death is a tragedy, are million deaths is a statistic.” 

A single hungry child is a tragedy, are a million hungry tummies JUST a statistic ...

Plot

"The adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of dirt-poor Dust Bowl migrants by 4-time Oscar-winning director John Ford starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who opens the movie returning to his Oklahoma home after serving jail time for manslaughter.

En route, Tom meets family friend Casey (John Carradine), a former preacher who warns Tom that dust storms, crop failures, and new agricultural methods have financially decimated the once prosperous Oklahoma farmland. Upon returning to his family farm, Tom is greeted by his mother (Oscar-winner Jane Darwell), who tells him that the family is packing up for the "promised land" of California. Warned that they shouldn't expect a warm welcome in California--they've already seen the caravan of dispirited farmers, heading back home after striking out at finding work--the Joads push on all the same.

Their first stop is a wretched migrant camp, full of starving children and surrounded by armed guards. Further down the road, the Joads drive into an idyllic government camp, with clean lodging, indoor plumbing, and a self-governing clientele. When Tom ultimately bids goodbye to his mother, who asks him where he'll go, he delivers the film's most famous speech: "I'll be all around...Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat...Whenever there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there...And when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there too." ( Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)

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6.   Alone in the Wilderness (2005)

 Have you ever been asked the question, 'If you could meet or chat with one person from history who would it be?"  Well. without a doubt my first pick would be Thomas  Jefferson but the first time I saw this documentary on PBS I knew Dick Proenneke would be second!   I would ask him ... 'Is this what heaven looks like?"

I have watched this show at least 5 x's and each and every time I am blown away ... I mean B.L.O.W.N - A.W.A.Y. The story, the man, and ohhh.... the scenery is unbelievable.  I have watched the documentary, read the books, bought more books and still I am amazed ...

Plot

"Alone in the Wilderness" is the story of Dick Proenneke. To live in a pristine land unchanged by man... to roam a wilderness through which few other humans have passed... to choose an idyllic site, cut trees and build a log cabin... to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available... to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company... Thousands have had such dreams, but Dick Proenneke lived them. He found a place, built a cabin, and stayed to become part of the country. This video "Alone in the Wilderness" is a simple account of the day-to-day explorations and activities he carried out alone, and the constant chain of nature's events that kept him company."

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7.    The Lost Gardens of Heligan (1996)

Doug & Kathryn bought me this book many years ago and I have been fascinated by these gardens and the story of their restoration every since.   You will fall in love with Heligan, Tim Smit & John Nelson the driving forces behind the restoration efforts at Heligan.

I guarantee that you do NOT need to be a gardener to find this story fascinating.

Visit the website at:  www.heligan.com
 

Plot

"Heligan, seat of the Tremayne family for more than 400 years, is one of the most mysterious estates in England.

At the end of the nineteenth century its thousand acres were at their zenith, but only a few years later bramble and ivy were already drawing a green veil over this "Sleeping Beauty". After decades of neglect, the devastating hurricane of 1990 should have consigned the Lost Gardens of Heligan to a footnote in history.

Instead, events conspired to bring us here and
the romance of their decay took a hold on our imaginations. Our discovery of a tiny room, buried under fallen masonry in the corner of one of the
walled gardens, was to unlock the secret of their demise. A motto etched into the limestone walls in barely legible pencil still reads "Don’t come here to sleep or slumber" with the names of those who worked there signed under the date - August 1914. We were fired by a magnificent obsession to bring these once glorious gardens back to life in every sense and to tell, for the first time, not tales of lords and ladies but of those "ordinary" people who had made these gardens great, before departing for the Great War.

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8.    Photographing Fairies (1997)

It's hard to believe but this movie is based on the true story of the infamous 'Cottingley Fairy' photographs taken in England in 1917.  A weird & wonderful story  and movie  ...

Take a look at the actual 1917 photographs below:

 

Plot

"Photographing Fairies is a variation on a theme of a famous incident that happened in England in 1917 involving two young girls, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright of Cottingley, who claimed to have taken photographs of fairies in their garden. 

These photos were seized upon by no other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame in 1921, and bandied about as absolute proof of theosophist theories that he was attracted to.  Final proof of the girls and their duplicity was revealed in 1983, when Elsie wrote her famous confession and  Frances followed suit. The article was posted in The Times."

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9.    Carnivàle (2003)

This HBO series has always fascinated me - I love the gritty, grisly & disturbing look at traveling sideshows, freak-shows, r eligion, magic, family and other odd relationships.   This series is, well, umm, well - you'll just have to watch it and see for yourself  ...

Plot

"1934, America. The Dustbowl. A fugitive named Ben Hawkins finds refuge within a traveling carnival comprised of a tarot card reader and her catatonic/telekinetic mother, a blind mentalist, a bearded lady, and conjoined twins, amongst others.

The carnival is owned by the mysterious and unseen Management, who has designs on the young Hawkins, for the boy is concealing an untapped gift: he can heal the lame and raise the dead--at a price. Ben also finds himself disturbed by cryptic and prophetic dreams, which he shares with a Methodist preacher in California, Brother Justin Crowe. Brother Justin, convinced by his dreams he is following God's will, has begun to practice his own extraordinary talents, although the preacher's plans increasingly lead to disturbing and tragic consequences. In this "last great age of magic,"

 Ben Hawkins and Justin Crowe are moving toward a great conflict between Good and Evil, although it not yet clear on which sides these men will stand."

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10.    Rashomon (1950)

 Mike introduced me to Akira Kurosawa many years ago and ever since I have come to enjoy Japanese film.  Rashomon is probably one of my favorites - a classic!

Plot

'Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice.

Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife.

Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.'

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Well that is my list - What's on yours?
I'd love some suggestions ...

Have a warm & wonderful day
- N -

It's Raining Movies ...

OMG - I'm so excited!  There are so many good movies out right now - after what seems like an eternity of crappy movies that were not worth the rental fee's never mind the $12.00/person charge.

Here is a list of the movies I plan on going to see as soon as I get home from Wash. DC.  If anyone has seen any of them let me know if they are worth paying out $$$ for!

You can click on any words in Blue to find out more information.

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Valkyrie:  This movie looks so intense.  

FYI:  In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie (Old Norse Valkyrie "chooser of the slain" is one of a host of female figures who choose who will win or die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen who have died bravely in battle to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin, where the deceased warriors become Einherjar. There, when the Einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries look after their tableware and drinks. Valkyries also appear as lovers of human beings and heroes, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty.

Out in Theaters: Now

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Doubt: This movie also looks intense. 

I really like both Meryl Streep & Philip Seymour Hoffman so they alone make this movie a 'must see'.

Out in Theaters: Now

                 

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The Reader: I didn't read the book but I've read good things about this movie 

Out in Theaters : Now

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New in Town: I enjoy a good Chick Flick and I especially like Renee Zellweger so this is a must-see.

Out in Theaters:  January 30, 2009

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Terminator - Salvation:  I love, love, love the Terminator series -  Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - and all the previous movies.  Christan Bale looks OUTSTANDING in this movie - I can't wait.

Out in Theaters:  May 22, 2009

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The Knowing:  This is one of those movies that looks & sounds good.  The premise is intriguing but ... time will tell.

(Looks like I know what I will doing for my Birthday)

Out in Theaters:  March 20, 2009

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Seven Pounds:   Love Will Smith so even though I have read bad reviews on this movie I still want to go see it.  Hey, I love Hancock & it got bad reviews ...

Out in Theaters:  Now

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The Wrestler:  Another intense movie that looks like it has a lot of substance - Mickey Rourke might be one strange dude but there is no doubt he can act!

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Tales of Despereaux: This book was written by Aidan's favorite author, Kate DiCamillo.  She is an award winning author of the cutest children's stories.

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Marley & Me   I've heard nothing but good things about this movie!

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Slumdog Millionaires:  Again, I've heard nothing but good things about this movie so it's on my hit list

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Angels & Demons:  I actually liked this Dan Brown book better than the the more popular Da Vinci Code.  I am excited for the release of this movie - I'm curious to see how it was shot since much of the book is set in the Vatican and I'm pretty sure they didn't allow any filming there!

Out in Theaters:  May 15, 2009

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I can't wait to see this movie - it looks very interesting.

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Gran Torino:  Clint Eastwood doing what he does best - Bad Ass Tough Guy.  This movie has gotten very good reviews in the Christian Science Monitor.

Out in Theaters:  Now

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Well looks like I'll be busy for a while  

Remember:  if you've seen any let me know if you liked them or if you seen any good ones not mentioned - why don't you share with us!

Entertain yourself:  Go see a movie today!

- N -

Movie Madness & a Snowflake or two ...

Original 1951 Movie Poster

Finally, after what seems like an eternity ... there was a movie playing  that I wanted to go and see [and I say "I" because Mike really had no interest in seeing this movie which I found surprising] but he came along for the ride anyway. 

The movie is a remake of the 1951 Classic of the same name  - it  is considered by many to be a ground breaking movie because it's aliens are more benevolent and less 'flesh-eating'  than the usual creatures from outer space and it is seems more of a parable than monster movie.  Enough said ... If you haven't seen the original I won't spoil the movie by telling too much about the story ...

Flying Saucer in original 1951 movie

... but I will say that I did enjoy the remake - it was good, but not great!  I especially enjoyed Keanu Reeves in the film [actually, I like most of his films] and it is a good movie to spend a Saturday afternoon at the theater with.

2008 Remake Poster

Whoo Hoo - Old Man Winter has finally arrived in the PNW - we had few flakes of snow last night!  An icing sugar dusting ... but snow nonetheless!

You can see it if you look carefully ...

Have a Great Night
- N -

Happy 4th of July ...

Happy 232nd Birthday America!

The American Revolution  & The Canadian Invasion

Did you know that in 1775 at the onset of  the American Revolution George Washington sent 2 armies into Quebec.  General Richard Montgomery & Benedict Arnold launched the failed assault on December 31, 1775.

Washington's goal was to set Canada up as the 14th colony and eliminate the British invasion route along the St. Lawrence - IF as George Washington said, it was, "practicable" and "not disagreeable to the Canadians."

But due to smallpox outbreaks, food & ammunition shortages, a shortage of reinforcements the American army retreated by mid-July 1776 when the British reinforcements arrived in large numbers. 

The Strawberry Festival in Bellevue with Jessica & Aidan

On the Saturday before Jessica & Aidan went home we all decided to go down to Crossroads Park to check out the 'Bellevue Strawberry Festival'.  I am assuming that at one time (many, many years ago) there were actually some strawberries grown in Bellevue.   To tell the truth - there weren't really any strawberries at the festival on Saturday either?

It was  such a hot day and they had just opened the new 'SPLASH PARK' at the park and the kids were all over it.  It is so cute - it has a Mommy killer whale and her baby - several rock climbing walls (you can see one behind the baby whale) a Loch Ness Monster, a Crocodile and lots of other fun stuff.   Although, I must say, I sure hope they had the water just dribbling out because of the festival and that they will turn it up a little for the kids later.  Seriously, it was just dribbling out - you can see the little girl reaching down to feel the water trickling out of the baby whales spout.   The blue areas are all spongy and I am thinking that the idea is ... once they turn up the water the blue spongy area will fill with water and the kids will be able to jump up & down and {SPLASH} around!

They also had a lot of old farm equipment at the festival & Aidan had fun trying it all out.  Here he is playing with an old hand-water pump.

He also had the chance to 'grind' some corn the old fashioned way.  He got to take it home for bird see - we put it into my 'illegal' feeder when we got home and I am happy to report that the birds are flocking to it.  Yum Yum!

He was thrilled to go for a drive in this 'roadster' pedal car.  They were so cute & they came with someone who tailed behind and gave you a push if you needed it.  We had a lot of fun at the festival despite it being small and it being so hot!

Speaking of hot - as we were leaving the Strawberry Festival (boiling hot & sun burnt) we decided since we were within walking distance to the movie theater we would go in and cool off!  We decided to see WALL-E.
 
All I am going to say about this movie is that it was SOOOO CUTE and worked on so many levels.  I almost think that that adults might like this movie more than kids but I guarantee that kids will love it too!!!   Aidan liked the movie but I was blown away by his comments & thoughts about it.  I don't want to spoil the movie so I won't say any more than that - &  this ... out of the mouths of babes

 If the picture above doesn't melt your heart - you need to go see the movie and then get back to me  ...
You gotta love Pixar - they are good ...
I mean how can a rusted-up piece of tin have so much emotion in it - just look at WALL-E's eyes & tell me you can't feel the love in them ...

I quite simply ...  LOVED this movie!

Have a great day!
- N -